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Forums - General Discussion - Got invited to the give the keynote speech at an autism conference

curl-6 on 07 October 2020
Mummelmann said:
curl-6 said:

Thanks man!

The way I look at it, we all get labelled anyway. I'd rather be labelled as Autistic and be understood than be labeled rude, lazy, oversensitive and annoying.

That's a great attitude. One of my first clients was undiagnosed for autism when he came to us, he had an ADHD diagnosis but we quickly saw clear signs of autism and he also showed some pretty heavy Tourettes in his mannerisms, verbal outbursts, and overall level of uncontrolled tics. But his mother refused to begin official diagnosing of her son since she was scared that he'd be stigmatized, she claimed that "it's enough with the ADHD already", as if neuropsychiatric disorders was something one either acknowledged or not (about 60% of people with autism have overlapping diagnoses, often undiagnosed). We tried explaining the sort of difficulties he could encounter and the value of psychoeducation in order to understand oneself and one's place in the world, as well as the immense stigma he would likely suffer growing into adulthood without the proper tools and/or medicine. She wouldn't listen and as far as I know, the diagnoses were never officially explored and set. He moved back home into a heavily negative symbiotic relationship with his mother, there was both physical and verbal abuse from both parties and a slew of troubling circumstances and behaviors from the mother (she was from the US and equated autism with Downs syndrome and other, similar things).

What I've seen through my years at work is that the stigma and labelling is always a lot worse when the client is unaware or lacks knowledge about themselves and they lack tools and coping strategies to deal with life. The more aware of and attuned with their disorders they become, the less labelling and stigma they experience since they can more easily find their groove and begin living on their own conditions and not solely based on the unrealistic and unfair expectations set by both themselves and the world they live in.

curl-6; you are inspirational in many ways, my ambition is to be able to instill the same sense of self-worth and insight into our kids at the home.

Thank you so much.

That's definitely been my experience too, that diagnosis and self-acceptance lead to the best outcome in life for folks on the spectrum. Once we figure out where our strengths lie and lean into that, and quit trying to fit our round selves into a square hole, we can be the best version of ourselves, instead of feeling crap about not being "normal".

And the more we can educate and raise awareness of the spectrum among others, the easier that will be for the next generation growing up on the spectrum now.

The_Liquid_Laser said:
curl-6 said:

Thank you. :)

While it depends on the person and the form of their autism, generally speaking I would say the most important thing is to figure out her Autistic strengths and passions, and concentrate on those; I was lucky enough to have parents who did this with me and pushed me to pursue my obsession with writing, which helped me to feel more positively about myself. Also if possible, helping her meet and form friendships with other Autistics her age can help her not feel alone and feel a sense of belonging.

Thanks, this sounds good.    Her passion is for drawing and we encourage that a lot.  As for meeting friends...I want to do that, but this is not a great time for it with the pandemic going on.

That's great that you encourage her strengths, sounds like you're on the right path already. :) And yeah not the best time at the moment, but once we get back to some semblance of normality, I'd highly recommend finding a social group or peer support group for young Autistics if there's anything like that in your area.

As someone who grew up without any friends who were also the spectrum, it made such a huge difference for me in my mid 20s when I finally got to develop a social circle of fellow Autistics; suddenly I didn't feel so alone any more.

Last edited by curl-6 - on 07 October 2020

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curl-6 on 12 October 2020

In addition to my talk, the event will showcase many other talks from young Autistics as well as showcases of their talents and creations. For those with Autistic children it could be a really helpful look at what teens and young adults on the spectrum have to say about raising and supporting others on the spectrum based on their lived experience.

You can catch it here: https://awetism.vfairs.com/

It's from 9am on the 20th of November AEDT, which is 3pm on the 19th Pacific Time and 6pm Eastern Time.



Salnax on 12 October 2020

Congrats! I'll try to catch it in a few weeks.



Love and tolerate.

Phoenix20 on 13 October 2020

Congrats you have a career, despite having Autism and the struggles you have had in life.
There are so many people with Autism that can not find a job because employers are more likely going to employ a person without disability than people with a disability. 

Last edited by Phoenix20 - on 13 October 2020

curl-6 on 13 October 2020
Phoenix20 said:

Congrats you have a career, despite having Autism and the struggles you have had in life.
There are so many people with Autism that can not find a job because employers are more likely going to employ a person without disability than people with a disability. 

I was fortunate in that I found work with an advocacy group founded by Autistic people for Autistic people, so it actually turned out to be an advantage and opened the door to a job I love.



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Mbolibombo on 13 October 2020

Parent with an autistic son here. (Aspbergers)

Just letting people know there's help to get (and show them direction) and that you arent alone with this is a huge thing. It's been a tough 4 or so years for us, but once we got the diagnose and got the help we could get life became a lot easier for him not only in school but also at home and on activities. It's easier to talk with people who might wonder what is going on, and easier to get help for our son that he have the rights to.



ireadtabloids on 14 October 2020

Have you made contact with the checkpointorg.com discord community?
There might be some good ideas there. Very good mental health community for gamers.



Phoenix20 on 16 October 2020

Having mild Autism and being HFA or Aspergers, appear normal but face difficulty in education, employment and social interaction.
There is not as much support for a person with a mild form of Autism compared to people with more severe Autism.
Severe Autistic people are likely to be non-verbal, have low IQ and mobility issues.



curl-6 on 16 October 2020
Phoenix20 said:
Having mild Autism and being HFA or Aspergers, appear normal but face difficulty in education, employment and social interaction.
There is not as much support for a person with a mild form of Autism compared to people with more severe Autism.
Severe Autistic people are likely to be non-verbal, have low IQ and mobility issues.

It is a real problem that people with "mild" or "high-functioning" autism lack support because it's often assumed that because they can, with great difficulty, pretend to be neurotypical, they don't need it. I can attest firsthand that is incredibly stressful and exhausting having to "fake it" in everyday life to get by.

Thankfully, I myself at least am now very well supported, in large part because I work for a primarily Autistic organization where my boss and manager understand my needs because they're also on the spectrum.



Salnax on 17 November 2020

About 60 hours left?



Love and tolerate.